A short ride near Bishop.

Last week as I came north on Hwy 395 along the east side of the Sierras I got a nice ride up Lower Rock Creek rd. the first climb included in the Everest Challenge race, a killer racecourse near Mammoth Mountain and Bishop. The 2-day race climbs the equivalent of the elevation of Mt. Everest.

http://www.everestchallenge.com/page1.ihtml?id=10

My ride profile I included below is just the first "pitch" on the Saturday profile shown on the Everest Challenge link above. A few years back I tried the E.C. race on a whim. I'd had a good summer and felt pretty fit...but that year the race was snowed on. I dropped out with hypothermia during Saturday's stage..and I've always wanted to go back and give it another try. I've since ridden most of the climbs as I pass through the Owens Valley and I really love the area.

The weather last Saturday (My Garmin missed Leap Year Day) was super...I was headed home to near Mt. Hood, Or. but I simply had to stop and 'stretch my legs' a bit on that gorgeous morning. Couple of pics below

Lower Rock Creek Trail, which follows the creek, is a very fun singletrack descent if you're into mountain biking.

My Everest Challenge experience was the opposite: hyperthermia. It was 100+ F with no shade or breeze, and no water. Some of the aid stations packed up and left before I got there, to keep up with the fast guys. They didn't even leave a jug of water behind. After two missed aid stations I got desparate and drank from a stream. Luckily I didn't get giardiasis. I couldn't do the last climb of the day because of dehydration.

The Eastern Sierra Double Century is a beautiful ride through the same area.

Rob you must have done it when it was held in the middle of summer. That must have been very difficult. It's been in September for a while now. Temps are still quite variable from snow and ice on the side of the road to high 90s in the valleys.

They changed the order of the climbs on day 1 last year- South Lake is now first and Rock Creek is last. I didn't get to race last year but the racers I talked to said they like it better that way. It's also a bit shorter since there's only one crossing of the valley instead of two. Same amount of climbing though.